Bittersweet
by KimberlyBrooklyn
Summary: This is the sequel to Terrified! Currently, Kim's life is described as bittersweet. It's sweet because, she has the best boyfriend in the world. But it's also bitter because, her health is becoming worse. Will Jack be able to help her before it's too late? Something else is trying to take her life.
1. The Present

**A/N: ALL THE ITALICS ARE KIM'S THOUGHTS. THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE LONGER :)**

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**CHAPTER ONE**

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Dear Journal,

So far, this has been the worst summer of my entire life. I found out that I have a rare, digestive disease and for the past month, I've been in horrible amounts of pain and suffering. I didn't know something could hurt so much! It felt like there was something inside my lower intestines stabbing me with a thousand sharp claws. It brought me to my knees, screaming at the top of my lungs. And the worst part was I could have died if I hadn't gone to the hospital.

Okay. My summer wasn't a total loss. I gained a super, attractive, sweet boyfriend named Jack Brewer. He was my doctor.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. 'Ick you're a sixteen-year old girl dating an older man.' Well, that's totally false. He's not some older man. Jack is a sixteen-year old genius! We're the same age! And it's the complete truth when I say that I am in love with him.

"Kim, honey!" Her mom yelled from downstairs.

"Coming! What is it?"

"You're friend is here from the hospital!"

She quickly closed her journal and scooted it under her pillow. _Yay! Jack is here. Wait. Do I look okay?_

Kim looked in her mirror and hastily brushed her fingers through her blonde curls. Then, she rushed outside into the hallway, but stopped abruptly when she noticed her rapid breathing. _He'll think I'm having a heart attack if I don't calm myself down._

She focused on breathing slowly, but it was difficult not to be anxious. She hadn't seen Jack for a couple days with him being busy at the hospital.

"Hey, beautiful." Jack smiled. He was standing at the bottom of the staircase with a silver box in his hands.

"Hi!" Kim blushed, finding the courage to walk toward him.

Jack met her halfway and kissed her cheek. "This is for you." He handed her the silver box. "Let's get off these stairs before one of us fall."

Kim followed him down the incline and took a seat next to him on the couch while ripping into the neatly wrapped box. "Chocolate?! Thank you!" she smiled, tossing some candy in her mouth.

"You're welcome." Jack grinned, "How has your condition been?"

"Great. Everything is back to normal now." she replied.

"Doctor, she won't tell us about her bowl movements. Could you test her to make sure the disease is gone?" Mrs. Crawford asked.

"Mom! Stop talking about that!" Kim yelled, covering her ears with her hands, "I just said that I was fine!"

"I didn't bring my things. She'd have to have another blood test." Jack replied.

"No! No more needles." Kim growled, "Mom, I don't tell you that stuff because it's embarrassing! I'm using the bathroom just fine."

"If you say so dear." Her mom said, "Well, you two have fun."

Kim's bright, brown eyes light up with happiness. Apparently, Jack told her something about what he had planned for the day.

"Where are we going?" Kim asked with a huge smile on her face.

"It's a surprise. Now come with me." Jack grinned. He stood up and held her hand.

"You bring her back before eleven." Mr. Crawford told Jack, "Normally, I don't trust boys with my Kimmy, but you're an exception."

"I'll have her back safe and sound." Jack replied. _Oh, I love how he uses his serious voice. It's so attractive._

Jack and Kim walked outside into the warm, evening air.

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**A/N: I HAD FUN WRITING TERRIFIED AND I'M EXCITED TO BE WRITING BITTERSWEET! THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT! **

***UNTIL NEXT TIME, AU REVOIR***

**~KIMBERLY~**


	2. The Collapse

**A/N: YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!**

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**CHAPTER TWO**

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Jack drove his new, wonderful girlfriend to an ice skating rink. He had a feeling that she would like having their first date at a fun place and he was one-hundred percent right. When he pulled into the parking lot, he noticed Kim's dazzling, brown eyes widen in pure excitement. She had never been to an ice skating rink before.

"I knew you'd like it." Jack grinned. He turned off the car engine and unbuckled his seat-belt.

"Thank you for taking me here!" Kim squealed. She had her hand on his forearm, squeezing it as she spoke.

"No problem, dear." Jack replied, joyfully. He placed his hand on top of hers and she felt sparks fly.

They went inside while holding hands. _Now I can finally have some fun this summer! It's been so tough being sick for so long, but I'm better now._

He rented two pairs of ice skates at the counter from a ginger-haired boy.

"Kim, this is my friend Milton." Jack introduced her to him.

"It's nice to meet you!" she smiled, shaking his hand.

"Milton, this is my girlfriend, Kim."

"It's great to finally get to meet you." Milton told Kim. She looked at him strange. _What does he mean by 'finally get to meet you?' I just met the guy. How does he know me? Unless. Jack talked to him about me while I was in the hospital! That's so cute! Jack must really have strong feelings for me._

Jack noticed her confusion and he got nervous. "What he means...is he finally gets to meet a girl that I like a lot." He didn't want Kim to know that he talked to Milton about how he liked her while she was stuck in the hospital.

"Sure, whatever you say, Jack." Kim winked. She placed her hand on his chest and patted him. Then she sat down on a nearby stool to put her skates on.

"You're right. She is adorable." Milton whispered. Jack's face turned beet red. Then he joined Kim on the stool beside her to put his skates on, too.

* * *

Kim had never worn ice skates before. She couldn't even stand up straight with them on.

Her legs were very wobbly as she tried to gain her balance, so Jack placed his hands on her sides to steady her.

"Something tells me that you come here a lot." Kim smiled. He had perfect balance.

"I like to come here with friends after a hard day at work. It's a great stress reliever." Jack replied. He helped guide her to the ice rink. And she carefully set her right foot on the slippery ice. Her balance was even more terrible on ice than on the carpet.

"I can't. I'm scared that I'll fall." Kim laughed. She pulled her foot away from the ice and set it back on the carpet as she leaned on his chest.

"I've got you." Jack replied, kissing her cheek, "Trust me, okay?"

"Okay, but what ever you do, don't let go of me." she demanded with a huge smile on her face.

"I promise." Jack nudged her closer to the ice. Both of her feet were flying in all directions under her once she left the safety of the carpet, but he didn't let her fall. Instead, he picked her up a few inches off the ground and her feet slightly dangled.

"How are we going to have fun? I'm horrible at this." Kim sounded frustrated.

"Just focus on standing up. Put your feet together." he replied, setting her down slowly. This time she stayed perfectly still and it worked.

"Don't let go!" Kim panicked. She could feel his grip around her waist loosening up, "Don't you even think about letting go! I'm not ready."

"I'll never let go, if that's the way you want it." Jack grinned, kissing her behind the ear.

"Ahhh! That tickles!" Kim laughed. Her body involuntarily wiggled away from him and her eyes widened in shock. There she was standing on ice skates all on her own. At any moment she thought she'd fall, but her new-found balance surprised her.

Jack quickly put his hands on her sides again. "I'm sorry! You accidentally got away from me for a second."

"It's okay. Did you see that?! I didn't fall down." Kim smiled, "I want to try again by myself."

He cautiously released her and she just stood there like a pro. Jack, this is awesome! I'm doing so well."

"I'm impressed. I didn't gain enough balance to stand for hours when I first learned how to skate." he replied.

Kim was smiling and then, her face turned pale and her smile disappeared. "Jack...I don't feel so-"

"What's the matter?" Jack asked. He was concerned. She didn't even finish her sentence.

He touched her shoulder, "Kim, are you okay?"

That's when her closed shut and she collapsed. Jack quickly swooped in and caught her before she hit the floor.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" Jack shouted.

Milton picked up the employee phone and called 911.

"This is 911. What is your emergency?"

"A girl collapsed on the ice rink at the Falafel Phil's Ice Arena!" Milton shrieked into the phone, "Come quick! She looks like she's dead!"

"How old is the girl? Is she breathing?"

"I don't know! She's a teenager! Jack, is she breathing?!" Milton yelled. Now everybody at the ice rink had quit skating. A circle of curious bystanders had formed around Jack and Kim.

"Yes!"

"Yes, she's breathing! Now please hurry!" Milton panicked.

"Sir, you need to calm down. I can't understand what you're saying."

"Teenage girl. Breathing. Hurry." Milton replied, taking huge deep breaths.

"An ambulance is on the way. I need you to stay on the phone and tell me what happened to this girl." the operator said.

"You're asking the wrong person. Hurry!" Milton exclaimed, hanging the phone up. He ran from out behind the counter, squeezed his skinny body through the crowd, and sat down next to his friend.

Jack had Kim's head resting against his chest. She looked like she was sleeping, but they both knew this wasn't normal.

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***UNTIL NEXT TIME, AU REVOIR***

**~KIMBERLY~**


	3. The Hospital Visit

**A/N: WOW THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS GUYS! I'M SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN A WEEK! I'M BACK ON TRACK NOW :) ENJOY!**

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**CHAPTER THREE**

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Kim woke up in a hospital bed with an IV in her wrist and Jack sitting next to her. Milton was seated on the other side of the bed.

"I'm glad you're awake. You had us scared for a while." Milton said.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked, placing his large, warm hand on her forehead to feel her temperature.

"I feel fine. What's going on?! Why am I in the hospital again?!" Kim panicked.

"You passed out on the ice, sweetie. But you're going to be okay now. The doctor took some blood from you and we're waiting on the results from the laboratory. Did you eat anything before our date?" He removed his hand from her forehead. Her temperature felt normal.

"Yes, Jack. I ate a cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake right before you showed up at my house."

"Well, you couldn't have had low, blood sugar then." Jack replied, scratching his chin in deep thought.

"Maybe she passed out from hyperventilation?" Milton added, "I do that when I get overly excited about certain situations. One time Julie bought me an astronomy textbook with matching Jupiter and Mars undies... My breathing increased and I passed out."

"No, Kim wasn't hyperventilating when she was with me."

"Can we quit talking about medical terms? It's creeping me out! In case anyone hasn't noticed yet, I'm terrified of hospitals." Kim exclaimed, moving her arms around restlessly, causing the needle to move around in her skin. "Ouch!" She shrieked, grabbing at her wrist.

"Kim, you know that you can't remove that." Jack warned her, stopping her from pulling the IV out.

"It's hurting me!" Kim shouted. Milton covered his ears with his hands. He wasn't good under stress and Kim was freaking him out, but Jack remained calm.

"Okay. Okay. I'll re-position it." Jack responded, softly. He untapped her wrist and slid the needle out of her skin. Kim felt immediate relief as she pulled her arm closer to her chest, grasping to it with her other hand.

Jack reached for her wrist, but she kicked him in the stomach.

"Why did you do that?" he asked her in an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry, Jack! It was a reflex." Kim cried, scooting further away from him.

"You're okay. Come here." Jack answered, sitting back down, "I've got something for you."

"Ha-ha. You're not fooling me. All you have for me is a needle." Kim said.

"I'm not trying to fool you. Just scoot closer to me." Jack spoke so softly that his words came out in a whisper. Not once did she take her eyes off of him as she decided to do what he said.

"What are you going to do?" Kim asked, nervously.

"This." Jack smiled, placing his arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her against his chest. He leaned his head to the side and kissed her lips. Finally, he could feel her muscles relaxing in his arms. "Will you let me put it back in your wrist? I've done it before, you know, and you were fine."

"Okay..." Kim replied, staring into his kind eyes. Suddenly, she felt all of her worries melt away.

The doctor walked into the room and Jack turned around to face her quickly, hiding the needle behind his back.

"Jack, why did you remove her IV?" the female doctor said, unamused.

"Lindsey, it's not what it looks like. I was going to put it back in." he replied.

"You don't have to do that now. I'm releasing her." Lindsey stated, looking down at the clipboard in her hand.

"Why? Do you mean to say that I'm not sick?" Kim asked, puzzled.

"No. We don't know what's wrong, but your white, blood cell count is high. The good news is you seems okay, so I'm allowing you to go home. Whatever undetected illness that is attacking you will most likely be destroyed naturally by your body's immune system." Lindsey explained.

"That's great news!" Milton grinned.

"Get me out of this place." Kim smiled, taking the blankets off of herself and reaching for her clothes.

"However; I highly recommend that you get another blood test in a few days to make sure your body is back to normal." Lindsey added.

"I feel fine, so I don't need anymore tests." Kim frowned.

"No, Kim, I disagree. You're getting another test." Jack said, seriously.

"Bring her in either on Wednesday or Thursday." Lindsey replied to Jack.

"Alright." he said. Lindsey exited the room.

"Since when do you have any say so over me?" Kim growled, looking at her boyfriend, furiously, "I don't want another blood test. You can't tell me what to do. You're not my father. And I'm not ever coming back to the hospital again."

"Undetected illnesses can be dangerous. I'm only trying to help you." Jack replied, calmly.

The room went quiet as Kim thought about what he had said to her.

"Thank you for caring about me, but you can't force me to come back here." Kim said, politely.

"It doesn't matter if you won't let me drive you back to the hospital. I will personally go to your house and take your blood in your own bedroom. I know your parents will let me after I explain the situation to them."

Kim looked at him with her jaw dropped, shocked at what Jack said to her just then. "Maybe it was a bad idea having a boyfriend whose a doctor." she snapped, "I don't care if my parents let you do that. I will lock myself in my bedroom and not come out until you leave!"

"Go ahead and lock your door. I will screw the hinges off of it and you can't stop me." Jack raised his voice.

She jumped out of the hospital bed and stood up in front of him with her fists drawn. "I don't care if you screw the hinges off of the door. I will go and lock myself in the closet." Kim fumed with anger, taking a few steps toward him.

"Really?" Jack chuckled, "You do realize that I would screw the hinges off the closet door and you'd be cornered."

Kim immediately stared down at the floor and then looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jack." She almost cried, but she really didn't want to.

"It's okay." he replied, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her.

"If it has to be done, I would want you to be the one to do it." Kim said, hugging him tight.

"I won't let anything hurt you." Jack answered.

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***UNTIL NEXT TIME, AU REVOIR***

**~KIMBERLY~**


	4. The Promise

**CHAPTER FOUR **

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**THURSDAY...**

Kim was lounging on the couch in the living room, fidgeting with the TV remote. She was very nervous about today since she knew she was going to be getting a blood test later when Jack gets done working his shift at the hospital. As much as she trusted him, and she trusted him a lot, the whole situation had her dreading tonight.

One moment, she was watching television, and the next moment, she was noticing the lights in the room dim around her.

"That's strange...It's just two thirty in the afternoon. Why is the room doing this?" Kim asked herself, and then everything went black. "Mom! What's happening?! Mom?!" Kim jumped up off the couch and stumbled into the dining room, but she couldn't see a thing. Her mom had just walked back inside the house after taking the trash out.

"What's the matter, honey?" Mrs. Crawford demanded; her voice full of concern.

"What are you talking about?!" Kim yelled, frantically, "Why are the lights out?!"

She felt her mother's hand touch her forehead, "Honey, are you feeling okay? The lights are on."

Kim burst into tears and her mom hugged her tight, trying to comfort her terrified daughter.

"Mom! I-I can't see! I'm b-blind!" Kim panicked.

"Okay, calm down." Mrs. Crawford replied, softly, "Look up at me."

"What do you see?!" Kim cried, tilting her head up.

"You're eyes appear fine. I'm going to call the eye doctor, honey." Mrs. Crawford held Kim's shaky hand and walked into the hallway. There was a phone attached to the wall in there.

"Mom!" Kim screamed in a panic, falling against the floor. Now Mrs. Crawford was terrified. Instead of calling the eye doctor, she immediately dialed 911.

"Hon, the ambulance is on the way to take care of you." Her mom said, bending down and hugging her daughter.

"I'm blind and I'm paralyzed!" Kim sobbed into her mother's sweater.

* * *

**At the hospital in the break room...**

Jack and Jerry are seated at a long table, side by side, having lunch.

"Yo, Jack. Did you hear the radio?" Jerry asked.

"Nope. I was in the restroom washing up." Jack replied.

"There's this girl named Kim Crawford whose blind and paralyzed coming in an ambulance." Jerry said, "Do you think it's the same girl we took care of earlier this week?"

Jack didn't respond for a long time. His hazel eyes went wide and he dropped his turkey sandwich. "That's my girlfriend."

"The poor girl. She can't seem to stay out of hospitals." Jerry replied, "Man, where are you going? You're sandwich is going to get cold."

"You can have it. I have to go tell the main desk that I want her as my patient."

"But...won't it be difficult to see your girlfriend in pain?"

"I'd do anything for her, man." Jack said, leaving the break room.

"I'm coming, too." Jerry added quickly, tossing the sandwiches back in the employee refrigerator and heading to the main desk.

* * *

"Kim, everything is going to be okay, darling." Jack said, walking into her hospital room and holding her hand. Her skin felt cold and lifeless, but her eyes were open and she was breathing.

"Jack, I'm so glad it's you." Kim sniffled, turning her head in the direction of his voice, "I can't see anything and I can't feel my body."

"I'm going to take good care of you." he replied, "Can you feel my hand?"

"Y-yes." she stuttered, holding back tears. He leaned down for a second and kissed her forehead.

"Jerry, I'm going to need you to prep a blood test, urine analysis, and a spinal tap." Jack instructed his nurse.

"I'm on it, man." Jerry replied, scrambling out the room.

"That sounds like it's going to hurt." Kim cried, softly.

"No, no, no, sweetie. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise you'll be fine." Jack spoke calmly, "I'll walk you through all the procedures."

"Okay, baby." Kim responded, her eyes twitching in slight discomfort, "What was that?!"

"You're fine. I just inserted the IV into your wrist." Jack said, gently.

* * *

The blood test went quick and nurse Trina helped collect some urine for the analysis. The spinal tap took longer to do since Kim couldn't sit up on her own.

Jerry helped Kim sit up as Jack was getting ready to stick a large needle into her backbone.

"I'm going to count to three and on three, I need you to take a deep breath." Jack instructed Kim.

"Wait, I can't do it yet." she panicked, "What if I can't breathe deep enough?"

"We'll practice first." Jerry suggested, "Go ahead and inhale."

Kim breathed in and breathed out perfectly.

"You did great." Jerry replied.

"1..2.." Jack started counting.

"Wait! I'm really scared." Kim admitted.

"Kim, this is serious. I need to find out what's attacking your body as soon as possible. I need you to relax and take a deep breath when I say so, or I'm going to have to insert the needle anyway and it's going to hurt, if you don't do as I say." Jack explained.

"I'm sorry." Kim's bottom lip trembled, "I really am trying, but my heart is racing and I'm getting hot feeling." She could tell that he was becoming impatient with her; something she had never witnessed from Jack.

"Here, sweetie." Jack spoke gentler, holding a cup of water to her chin, "I got you some water." She drunk the water.

"I-I'm sorry." she repeated.

"No, don't apologize anymore. You're just nervous." Jack said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry for saying I wasn't going to wait for you to take a deep breath. I promised you that I wasn't going to hurt you and I'm definitely not going to cause you pain. I have an idea. Can you take three big breaths?"

"I think so." Kim replied, timidly.

"Okay, that's great. Start doing that now." Jack answered. Then he inserted the needle into her back. She squeezed her eyes shut and continued breathing.

After they were done with the tests, Jerry gently laid Kim back down on the bed.

"What's going to happen to me?" Kim asked.

"When the test results come back, I'm going to determine what is causing your eye sight to black out and why your muscles aren't working." Jack replied, sitting on the edge of the bed and massaging the sensitive, inner part of her arm.

"That feels good." Kim smiled.

"I'm happy to see you smiling." Jack grinned.

"I wouldn't be smiling without you." she said.

Jack leaned across her body and kissed her warm lips. Despite being mostly paralyzed, Kim was able to kiss him back in a slow, steady rhythm. He picked her up and placed her in his arms.

"Jack, when I get better, I want to go to the beach with you." Kim smiled, laying her head on his well-toned chest.

"That sounds like fun, sweetie." Jack replied, caressing her cheek lightly with his fingertips, "We'll definitely do that soon."

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***UNTIL NEXT TIME, AU REVOIR***

**~KIMBERLY~**


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